In fixed grid optical networks, wavelengths are spaced apart from each other according to a wavelength spectrum grid such as defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in ITU-T G.694.1 (02/12), “Spectral grids for WDM applications: DWDM frequency grid,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference. In flexible grid optical networks, which is also described in ITU Recommendation G.694.1 “Spectral grids for WDM applications: DWDM frequency grid” (02/12), each signal can be allocated to spectrum with different widths optimized for the bandwidth requirements of the particular bit rate and modulation scheme of the individual channels. Note, flexible grid networks may still utilize a grid, albeit at a much finer granularity than grid networks (e.g., 6.25 GHz vs. 50 GHz). On the other hand, gridless networks have no such grid constraints. In both fixed grid and flexible grid optical systems, wavelengths or spectrum is assigned on various network links between nodes to support channel connectivity. Currently, network operators rely on manual wavelength assignment techniques using highly partitioned data sets. As complexity has grown, this has become increasingly impractical; there is an emerging urgency for advisory and/or automated techniques with newer flexible and adaptive bit rate signaling to assign wavelengths or spectrum in a highly optimized manner.
Current approaches to wavelength usage, assignment, and visualization use multiple spreadsheets and or spreadsheet tabs to represent a vast amount of information—network nodes, links, connectivity, and spectrum/channel usage. For example, in FIG. 1, a spreadsheet can use columns to represent connections between nodes and rows to represent wavelengths with each filled in the cell representing a used wavelength at a node or between nodes. Of course, such as an approach while not ideal, works adequately for simple linear network routes which may be wholly contained in a single sheet, but as network complexity and meshing grows, the spreadsheet approach becomes cumbersome, such as relying on multiple tabs or sheets to represent the vast amount of information and level of abstraction. This technique would also be wholly inadequate for flexible grid and adaptive bit rate signaling technologies.